The Transformative Power of Gratitude in Caregiving: Stories, Practices, and Insights

In honor of World Gratitude Day, we’re diving into a topic that has the power to transform your caregiving journey—gratitude. When you’re deep in the trenches of caregiving, it’s easy to let the hard moments take over. But what if you could shift your focus to the small wins and positive moments? In this episode, I share how gratitude became my lifeline during some of the toughest years of caregiving. We’ll explore why practicing gratitude is crucial for your mental health, well-being, and overall resilience as a caregiver.

Finding the right gratitude practice can make all the difference. Whether it’s journaling, taking gratitude walks, or simply pausing to reflect on what’s going well, there’s a method that can fit into your routine. We’ll go over a variety of practices, so you can find the one that resonates with you and start incorporating it into your daily life. Because when you focus on gratitude, you’re not just surviving—you’re thriving, even on the most challenging days.

So, grab your coffee and tune in as we explore the power of gratitude for caregivers. By the end of this episode, you’ll have actionable tips to start your own gratitude practice, boost your mood, and bring more light into your caregiving journey.

Transcript

The Power of Gratitude in Caregiving

Cathy 0:00

Well, welcome my friend to another episode of the Caregiver Cup podcast. It's Cathy here. Before we jump into today's episode, I wanted to just say thank you. Thank you for being a listener of the podcast, thank you for the messages and the email responses, thank you for being part of this community, because we're going to talk all about gratitude today, and it's something I practice daily and it's something that bubbled to the top when I became a caregiver. Not that I wasn't grateful before, but it strengthened as I became a caregiver. And guess what, as we celebrate Saturday, which is World Gratitude Day, and if you're listening to it on a different day, it's September 21. It feels like the perfect time to dive into this practice that has transformed my caregiving journey. It's gratitude.

Cathy 0:57

I want to start today's episode by sharing a story, especially since September holds a heavy significance for me. I don't know what it is about September, but it does have a lot of challenging things for me. My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just seven years ago. My spouse began his cancer journey with the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma just two weeks later after my dad, and it's morphed into many others. And what's funny about it, my spouse got the news that his chemotherapy wasn't working, just three years ago in September, and was told that he needed to move forward on another option, and we chose the stem cell transplant option. And then, three years ago, at the same time, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. Then, just two years ago and it doesn't even feel like two years we started my mom into home hospice care in the middle of September, which only lasted two weeks for my mom. And then last year we said goodbye to my nine-year-old fur baby, which he wasn't really little, but I call him my baby. He was this 80-pound black Labrador. His name was Cooper and I called him Cooper Joe or Cooper Boy because he had canine carcinoma bone cancer. And so September holds this heavy reflective time for me.

Cathy 2:33

Now I could drown in my sorrows, but caregiving and this seven-year journey changed me and it's hard to describe, but when I was pushed back against the wall, I evolved as a stronger and better person, I believe all because of caregiving and this journey that I was on. And obviously, if you are spiritual or religious, I believe the powers within me were created from God or were influenced by the spiritual beliefs that I have. We have a choice as caregivers. We could allow caregiving to beat us down, or we can take advantage or take on the challenge and see who we really are, and I think that's what happened to me see who we really are, and I think that's what happened to me.

Cathy 3:29

One of the things I attribute to my change and challenges is working on my mindset. I was just about a month into my caregiving in 2017 and felt beaten down and drained. I knew I couldn't stay in this mindset and this downward spiral of thinking, all the thoughts that I was thinking. So I asked myself how could I make changes? Because I couldn't control the diagnoses, I couldn't control the outcome, but I could change my thinking and the way that I showed up, change my thinking and the way that I showed up.

Cathy 4:05

I didn't have a lot of time. That was the big thing. My energy was terrible and my thoughts were draining. I was working a full-time job. I was running, helping my mom take care of my dad. I was in appointments with Dennis. I was just strapped for time, but I knew that I had to do something. It felt like yesterday, but seven years ago that's what happened.

Cathy 4:34

I kept hearing about this journaling, but I couldn't seem to grasp it the thought of a blank piece of paper and sitting down for 10 minutes 15 minutes just added more stress to my blade. It was almost like putting something else on my to-do list. Then I heard Rachel Hollis in a podcast say I don't do the typical journaling all the time. Some days I only have time for five things I'm grateful for. She talks about getting specific about the positive things you are thankful for, and by journaling five things that you're grateful for and being specific like people or nature or kind gestures, whatever it would be, be it trains your brain, it it starts shifting your brain to think. Stop thinking about all the things that were going wrong, all the things that I couldn't get to, whatever it would be.

Cathy 5:33

So I went to Target and bought myself a three-ring binder and specifically one that I would just use for journaling. I tried to journal in the morning and if I couldn't get to the five things that I was grateful for, I would have it with me in my bag. Usually, if I was in the waiting room or Dennis was getting lab work or we were at a pause with my dad, I would pull it out and do it. So I couldn't religiously just do it at a specific time, especially during that chaotic season. But I did it and I saw changes within one week.

Cathy 6:10

I started noticing things. I started saying, oh, I'm going to write this in my journal tomorrow. I started noticing things like the smile from the receptionist or a text check in from a friend, or a blue jade bird that flew outside, or the sunrise that was a little bit of like pink, pink cotton candy, or even someone letting me in traffic and I would wave at them and I'm like that's a kind gesture. I'm grateful that that person allowed me in my mind, started focusing on what the good things were versus all of the things that were beating me down, all the negative things that were happening with my loved ones. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of things falling and a lot of things failing, but there was just as many good things around me. When I focused in on it, as I reflect on those small moments, I realized that gratitude wasn't just about writing things down. It was about shifting your entire perspective.

Cathy 7:20

When you're deep in caregiving, it's so easy to let the hard stuff take center stage the endless to-do lists, the health updates, the sleepless nights, those things that can feel like they're constantly pulling you under, but what gratitude does is it pulls you back up. It allows you to see that there's still light even when you're surrounded by darkness. It's like the lifeline that reminds you that, yes, this journey is hard, but there's still beauty in the cracks. You begin to realize that, no matter how much is falling apart, there are still pieces that hold everything together. That's why I'm such a firm believer in the power of gratitude, especially for you and I as caregivers. Gratitude is more than just a feel-good practice. It's a tool for survival yes, sometimes for survival. It helps you stay grounded, focused and, most importantly, it allows you to take care of yourself, even when it feels like everything is demanding your energy and time.

Cathy 8:36

I found that you know when I would do gratitude, especially journeying, and we're going to talk about different ways to do it. I would also make myself a cup of coffee, or I would go ahead and sit and take a pause somewhere. Throughout today's episode, we're going to dive into the many different ways you can practice gratitude. I couldn't even come up with like the top five or the top 10. It's more than that. There are so many different ways to practice gratitude. You don't have to journal like I did, if it doesn't resonate with you. There are so many ways to incorporate gratitude into your day. Whether it's through a gratitude walk, pausing to reflect on the good before bad, or simply saying thank you to the people around you, it all makes a difference. We'll explore these practices and we'll also talk about the science behind gratitude and why it's so beneficial for people, for your mind, your body and your soul.

Cathy 9:42

As a caregiver, we know the power of the mindset. We're in situations where our energy is drained, our patience is tested and our resilience is stretched. I've done episodes on feeling like Gumby. It was a stretched little toy. But here's the thing when you practice gratitude in even the littlest ways, it strengthens you, it boosts your mood, it reduces your stress and it can even help you sleep better. It's not about ignoring the challenges at all, but balancing them. When things are just magnified and you have to lift yourself up, then so, whether you're new to caregiving or you've been on this path for a while, I encourage you to stick with me today as we explore the practices of gratitude, because I know one or two is going to resonate with you, because this can truly transform your journey. I'm thinking about journaling your journey. I'll share some simple, actionable tips that can start your day and you can start today, and we'll talk about why this practice is so crucial for your mental health and overall well-being as a caregiver.

Cathy 11:02

Let's face it caregiving is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires endurance and patience, and grace and gratitude. It's one of those tools that can keep you going when the race gets tough, when this marathon is going on and on and on. It helps you see the small wins, the silver linings, the reasons to keep going even when you feel like you can't go on. So, my friend, grab a cup of coffee, grab your favorite beverage, or turn the radio, or turn the volume up if you're listening in the car, so that you can hear it. And we're going to go ahead and talk about the secret superpower of gratitude as a caregiver. We'll talk about the different practices, the research behind it and how you can start integrating these powerful tools. By the end of this episode, I hope you walk away feeling more empowered, more grounded and ready to face your caregiving journey with new perspective. Because, yes, caregiving is tough, but the right mindset and a practice of gratitude can help you get through those tough days and give you moments of joy and peace along the way. So are you ready to get started? Yes, let's go.

Cathy 12:27

Gratitude let's talk about that for caregivers becomes an anchor in the storm, right? It's a tool that allows you to ground yourself when everything feels overwhelming. In caregiving, there are days when it seems like nothing is going right and even tasks feel like a burden. But practicing gratitude and shifting your focus can help you and help you through it. For example, on a tough day, gratitude might mean acknowledging that your loved one had a moment of peace, or appreciating the strength you found to get through a difficult task. It's not about pretending things are hard. It's not. It's not being fakey, it's not covering it up. It's about giving yourself permission to see beyond the hardship, beyond the negative. It's finding meaning in the journey, however challenging your journey may be. Gratitude also changes the way you connect with others. It allows you to appreciate the moments of tenderness and care that can sometimes be buried underneath your frustration and exhaustion. When you focus on being grateful and the gratitude, you might start noticing the little things, like the quiet moment of holding hands, a shared laugh, a meaningful conversation. These moments can become sources of strength, feeling you to the hardest times ahead. And, perhaps most importantly, gratitude allows caregivers like you and I to reconnect with ourselves.

Cathy 14:09

Caregiving often means putting yourself last, but gratitude reminds you to honor your needs and your emotions. It's a practice of self-compassion. When you stop to reflect on what you're thankful for, you give yourself space to appreciate your own effort, your own resilience, your own growth, your own silly mistake to laugh about. In the caregiving world, when exhaustion and stress are constant, gratitude provides a counterbalance. It offers a sense of perspective, helping you to see the bigger picture. We know caregiving sometimes feels isolating and overwhelming too, and gratitude reminds us that there are still moments of connection and kindness and beauty.

Cathy 15:00

To a caregiver, gratitude means recognizing the value of the journey. It's asking the depth. It's asking oh, I'm sorry. It's acknowledging the depth of love that fuels caregiving, the lessons learned along the way and the growth that emerges from your challenges. So, thinking about you, look at it and saying wow, I've really, really grown since I became a caregiver or I'm learning all of these things along the way. It's understanding that even on the hardest days, there are reasons to be grateful for Grateful for time with your loved ones, for the support you receive, for the strength you didn't know you had. I'm going to take a sip of coffee before I stay this very, very important statement here. So I'm grateful for my cup of coffee right now, quick. Okay, now I want to say the statement here.

Cathy 16:01

Gratitude isn't just a feel-good practice. It's a tool that helps you navigate the emotional roller coaster of caregiving. It gives you the ability to find peace in the chaos, to celebrate the small wins and to continue showing up as the best version of yourself, both for your loved one and for yourself. Okay, now I want to hear from you. I want to hear from you Remember there's that link below with that text message right in the show notes.

Cathy 16:36

I want to hear how do you practice gratitude in your caregiving journey. You can wait and text me at the end, or you can text me right now, because I'm going to go through umpteen different ways to practice gratitude, but you may have something that's just personal. There are so many ways to weave gratitude into your day and it's important to find a practice that feels right and works for you. So I'd love to hear your unique practice. Hit that link right below in the show notes and send Kathy a message. Send me a message. Let's inspire each other. I will read those next week before we start our episode, and I can't wait to hear from you. I'm really looking forward to hearing how you incorporate gratitude into your life, either now or after you listen to it and you take on one of the examples that I'm going to share. Don't forget to hit that link.

Cathy 17:33

But now let's dive into ways you can embrace gratitude and how you can find the practice that feels right for you. The beautiful thing about gratitude is it's personal. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. What works for me might not resonate with you, or it might not resonate with this season, and that's okay. Let's explore different ways to practice your gratitude and hopefully you'll discover something that fits seamlessly into your daily routine. Whether it's journaling, a simple mental check-in, something more creative, there's a method that's going to work for you and help you cultivate more positivity and joy into your caregiving journey.

Cathy 18:21

Incorporating gratitude into your daily practices can be simple, and I want to stress that it can be simple but yet powerful, and I'm going to go through the many ways of incorporating gratitude. So, before I go, don't forget to hit that link, before or after. So let's go into the first one, one of the most important and popular ways to practice gratitude is keeping a journal. Like I had said, keeping a journal, whether it be a simple way to do it, like five things you're grateful for, or writing all of it out in text and writing it all out. All it takes is setting aside a few minutes each day to jot down three things, five things a paragraph. These can be small moments, personal achievements or the support you get for your loved one. Over time, the simple habits trains your brain to focus in on the positive, which is especially valuable when you're navigating these ups and downs of caregiving season.

Exploring Various Gratitude Practices in Caregiving

Cathy 19:31

Let me share Marie Shriver If you haven't heard about her. She's a well-known advocate for Alzheimer's awareness and has often shared how gratitude journaling has been a lifeline for her during her caregiving journey as a caregiver for her father who battled Alzheimer. Marie Shriver emphasizes the power of daily gratitude as a way to stay grounded amidst the chaos. She often talks about how she reflects on small meaningful moments and takes time to connect with nature. It's a reminder that even in the midst of caregiving challenges, there are still beautiful moments worth acknowledging. So if journaling speaks to you, try it.

Cathy 20:18

Remember there's gazillions of different ways to journal gratitude. It can be in a journal, it could be on your phone, it can be, you know, five, it can be three, it can be a paragraph. What is it for you? If you think journaling gratitude would be? I have I can't even remember how many now. I think I have 15 journals now of all my gratitudes I mean over the years, you know, depending how many pages were in the journal and how many extra things I wrote.

Cathy 20:50

Yeah, another one is a gratitude jar. I used to do this when I was in a team. I used to do this with my kiddos, but keeping a jar where you can drop in notes of things you are grateful for each day. Get yourself a mason jar and decorate it, get yourself a vase and have little pieces of paper and at the end of the year or at the end of a month you pull them out and you read them all. I hear many families practice this and then open them up on a special occasion like Thanksgiving, so you can go back and reflect on them. It's just a fun way. It's a fun way where that jar is out there reminding you. Another one is a morning gratitude affirmation or affirmations. Begin your day by stating three things you're grateful for out loud and mentally. This sets a positive tone for your day and helps you start with an optimistic mindset. That's why I like Selma Blair and I didn't really know Selma until I did some research.

Cathy 22:01

But actress Selma Blair became a caregiver to herself after her diagnosis of MS. While her journey is one of self-care rather than a traditional caregiver, it resonates with many caregivers facing health challenges health challenges. So her gratitude practice. Blair has spoken about helping her navigate the challenges of MS. She finds gratitude in simple acts of self-care, like talking out loud and acknowledging it. She acknowledges the support she had from family and friends and she finds that it helps her within. She also uses social media to share the practice, often highlighting moments of joy and positivity in her journey.

Cathy 22:53

Think about it. You know, you could say it out loud, you could say it mentally, you could go ahead and post something online if you wanted to, on your Facebook page, on your Instagram, in a story, whatever it would be being a celebrity she found that it helped her staying positive. It's kind of like I have a friend that sends me a prayer every day, so it could be something like okay, let's get together and let's go ahead and text each other. One thing we're grateful for each morning you could have a gratitude accountability partner. Another one is a gratitude walk or walks. Take a walk outdoors and use this time to reflect on the things you're thankful for, whether it's the beauty of nature, your health or a meaningful conversation you had. This practice combines movement with mindfulness. This brings me back to my ultimate gratitude mentor. This is the person that I am like.

Cathy 23:57

I don't know if I have a fan love with, but Hoda Kotb. She is just the person that. If somebody talked about positivity or a role model, she's the person. She's a journalist, she's on the Today Show, she has the Hoda and Jenna Show. She has so much more in her background and she's had experience as a caregiver with her father, who was ill. I think her mother's becoming elderly. She has her two adopted daughters, so Hoda is known for her positivity and her daily gratitude practice. That's why she's on. I listen to the Hoda and Jenna show on my podcast versus watching it, so that I can go ahead and take my walks and listen to them talk, and everything's always positive. It makes me giggle.

Cathy 24:48

She has spoken about keeping a gratitude journal and starting each day by listing things she's grateful for, for her. Focusing on gratitude helps her maintain a positive mindset during difficult times. Helps her maintain a positive mindset during difficult times. And the one thing that Hoda brings up with Jenna and they talk about on the show is Hoda. When she just needs to reconnect, she takes off her shoes and walks in the grass and Jenna picks on her thinking who walks in the grass with their bare feet? And then, now that she's moved to the suburbs, hoda has now gone on after dinner walks with her girls and they talk about the things of their day. So talk about that. That just helps me. But gratitude walks is a way.

Cathy 25:37

Another one is a gratitude letter or writing heartfelt letters to someone who has had a positive impact on your life. You don't have to send it, but taking the time to acknowledge your input can help you boost and have a sense of connection and well-being. So it could be a gratitude practice that you do. It could be a true practice that you do. It could be a true letter that you send. And what I found out is Kristen Bell. While not a traditional caregiver, kristen Bell has been vocal about the importance of mental health and self-care, which aligns closely with many caregiver experiences right. Well, belle regularly shares her gratitude practices on social media, like daily reflections, writing letters of appreciation, and she emphasizes finding joy in the small everyday moments and encourages others to adopt practices that work for them.

Cathy 26:39

I just thought that was a good idea because for me, having a blank piece of paper sometimes is scary, but being able to go ahead and send a letter to someone because you're thankful and you don't even have to send it or texting somebody, whatever it would be, I thought there's another way that might help me heal better, it might make me feel better. There was a year that I sent. I went out one year this has to be before caregiving and bought birthday cards and anniversary cards and occasion cards like Easter and Thanksgiving and Halloween and Christmas and all that, and I bought everything that I needed for the year and I clubbed those into months and I set a New Year's resolution that I was going to go ahead and connect with my family and friends by sending them cards throughout the year. And I didn't have an excuse because all of them were. All the cards were bought and all the stamps were on the envelopes. The envelopes were addressed. I did that on New Year's Day and all I had to do is set my reminders to go ahead and write so-and-so a card out, and I did it. I did it, it felt so good and then, when I didn't do it, people were saying, well, where's my card? And so it just helped me. I don't know why to this day, I did it, but it helped me just share my celebrations and share my love to whoever I was sending them to.

Cathy 28:12

Okay, the next one is a daily gratitude list, and some of these are like overlapping, but this one is at the end of your day. By mentally listing or writing down the things that went well, no matter how small they were, this practice helps shift your focus away from the challenges of the day and towards the brighter moments of the day. We talked about this last week when we talked about the nighttime routine. By celebrating your wins and your successes at the end of the day, you get your mind thinking about all the good before falling asleep versus all of the things that went wrong, and it just eases your stress and it really helps you weigh out the good and the bad and seeing that there was just as many, if not more, good than things that went bad. So, at the end of your day. You could do that, you could do that just mentally, you could do that on a journal, whatever you want to do.

Cathy 29:15

Number seven is gratitude for challenges. As caregivers, we're constantly facing challenges, and what I mean by that is all of the emotional tolls, the physical exhaustion, the unexpected news and setbacks. But when you start to view those challenges as opportunities for growth, it completely reframes your mindset, instead of feeling stuck or defeated, or begin to see each difficult moment as something that's shaping you into a stronger, more resilient person. For example, maybe you have to navigate a difficult conversation today with your doctor or advocate for your loved one. While it was stressful in the moment, perhaps it taught you the value of speaking up, or that you're capable of more than you thought you could. Or I learned how to communicate with this doctor, or I didn't learn how to communicate with this doctor. Now I have to go back and figure out how to do it. Whatever it is, in the way the challenge becomes a lesson in courage and persistence. You spoke up. That's a win. You were able to go ahead and share the information, whether you didn't say it really well or not, but you spoke up. You know what am I learning from it from the next time?

Cathy 30:36

Even in the darkest moments, gratitude for challenge can bring a sense of meaning. I've spoken with caregivers who faced heartbreaking decisions such as transitioning their loved ones into hospice. While it was an incredible painful time, they eventually found gratitude for the way it allowed them to focus on the quality time and the meaningful memories in those final days. It didn't take away the pain, but it helped them cherish the time that they had. Gratitude for challenges doesn't mean dismissing the difficult or pretending everything is okay. That's not it. Rather, it's about acknowledging the hardship while also finding value in your experience. It's saying this is hard, but I'm learning, I'm growing and I'm becoming stronger because of it. Over time, this mindset can help you build emotional resilience. You can build trust in your own ability to face whatever comes your way, because you've already been through so much and you found ways to move forward. This practice strengthens not just your mind but your heart, making you better equipped to care for both you and your loved one.

Cultivating Gratitude in Daily Life

Cathy 31:52

If this concept feels difficult at first, know that you're not alone. It's not easy to find gratitude in hard times, but small reflections asking yourself what is this teaching me, can be a starting point. Sometimes the lesson is as simple as recognizing that it's okay to ask for help, or that you have more strength within you than you realized you had. Even challenges carry into their own lessons and the more empowered you feel in your caregiving journey. So take a moment. When the next challenge rises for you, or rises for you, pause, breathe and ask yourself what is this experience telling me? What is this experience teaching me? It might be clear right away, but with time it might not be clear right away, but with time you may discover that even the toughest moments are helping you grow into a more resilient, empowered version of yourself. Or, like for Dennis yep, we've had another setback, but I'm grateful that we know what we're facing. I'm grateful for the team that we have and it's teaching us to go ahead and just trust the journey. It's you know. I'm grateful that you know we are able to talk about it Now. Let's explore now more practices again so that complement this mindset and help you integrate gratitude into your routine. I get choked up there for just a minute.

Cathy 33:27

Oh, I don't know what it was, but another one is thank you notes. We kind of talked about writing letters already, but make it a habit to express gratitude to others by sending thank you notes or sending messages. It could be text or emails or whatever. Even for the smallest of gestures, Acknowledging others' kindness can strengthen your relationship and spread positivity. It could be somebody coming over to visit your loved one and, after they leave, send them a message to say it was so nice to see you and, just so you know, it brought a little bounce to my, my loved one's step, or whatever you want to say.

Cathy 34:09

When Dennis was in a stem cell transplant journey, I remember Kathy's house was a lodging place that we stayed at. They had a basket of thank you notes and these thank you notes were the ones that people made and I put some in my bag so that I could write thank you notes when we were there, because people would send us cards. My accountability partners, naomi and Amy, bought us a meal and had it delivered. We had people going ahead and taking care of things in the home front. You know all of these little things and I found myself when I put those in my bag. I would go ahead and when I had a quiet moment, like I was sitting in the waiting room we were waiting for lab results. My husband was getting his whether it was his chemotherapy before his transplant, or he was having his stem cells extracted. I could go ahead and leave for a minute, go sit at a table or a couch somewhere quiet, and I would pull out one of those thank you notes and send a thank you note to somebody and I could go ahead.

Cathy 35:18

Then, when I got back to Kathy's house, buy a stamp, put it in the mailbox and do it, I found myself sending text to people and you know what I did too, and I've been incorporating this more and more, even outside of caregiving chaos. I find myself now saying, okay, at least once a week I want to text my kids and just tell them you know, hey, I'm just checking in, how are things going, there's nothing wrong and I love you, and just sending it and just doing that. And it just brings that moment of connection and that moment of gratitude. Which brings me to number nine, which is gratitude with your loved one. Share your gratitude practice with your family and friends by having a weekly gratitude ritual. Could you do that? I remember this. I would do this with my kiddos at the table on Thursdays Now they're all grown, but we would go ahead and if we said grace at the table or one thing we're grateful for today, going around the table, it was just a way to go ahead and connect. That might be something that you do. Or, like I said, you could have a text chain and say okay, it's Thursday, let's make it Thankful Thursday. What are you grateful for? Well, let's talk about Lady Gaga.

Cathy 36:42

She has been a caregiver for her aunt who was diagnosed with lupus. She also supports her parents and close family members in various capabilities. She has mentioned the importance of expressing gratitude as a part of her routine. She reflects on her family relationships and the support system that keeps her grounded, which helps her stay resilient in both her personal life and career. So, finding a routine that you do each and every day, you know, I think about Dennis and I when we get done with an appointment, especially a hard appointment that he has had. We've had so many appointments where they share the scan results and it's been hard to swallow and we go ahead and process check every time we're going. Okay, so what did you think? And I would go through what I think and then at the end we would say let's talk about gratitude for a moment what are we grateful for? We would always say we're grateful for the scan, we're grateful for the team, we're grateful that we have each other, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and it just kind of makes us kind of wrap it all up and show us perspective.

Cathy 37:57

Another one is gratitude prompts. Use prompts to help you focus on specific areas of your life. For example, a prompt would be what am I most grateful for in my caregiving journey today? That could be on your walk, that could be in your journal, whatever it would be. Or what lesson did I learn this week that I'm grateful for? If you are a daily journal, like I said, write it down. Maybe you send yourself an alarm on your phone and you do that, maybe you do it on your walk. I have these words on my wall in my living room what are you grateful for? And so it's just a reminder. But I like the second one what lessons have you learned that you're grateful for?

Cathy 38:42

I'm recording today. As I'm recording today, I mean my granddaughter's school had a bus accident this morning where somebody came and sideswiped the bus. It went down into the ditch, turned the bus over on its side. There were injuries, but I'm grateful that there was no serious injuries or fatalities. I'm thinking about what I can do with my mindset right now. I'm thinking about what I can do with my mindset right now. I'm thinking about how often I should be texting my grand girls. Have I hugged them? It just brings you back to reality. I have to do it more, and so when things are challenging like that, having those prompts are so important.

Cathy 39:32

Okay, another one is gratitude pause. Imagine yourself having one of those overwhelming days where everything is going to haywire and is piling up. Maybe your loved one needs are more demanding than usual, you're running on little sleep and the stress is just getting the best of you. It's easy to feel consumed by that pressure and that frustration, but when you're in that, by taking a gratitude pause, it can help you. You take a deep breath and intentionally pause for a moment. You try to shift your focus Instead of thinking about all the things going wrong or all the things you have to do. You're grateful right in that instance and you just take a pause and breathe in, and then you breathe out and you just take that pause. And whether that be, I'm grateful that I'm warming my coffee up and I'm taking a sip. I'm grateful that I'm warming my coffee up and I'm taking a sip, whether I'm grateful that my loved one just fell asleep. Whatever it would be. Maybe it's the warmth of the morning sun streaming through the window, maybe it's the small freshly brewed coffee in your kitchen that you're smelling, or maybe it's simply the fact your loved one gave you a smile before or during this time.

Cathy 40:55

Despite everything, a pause. Allowing yourself to pause. You're not denying the stress and pretending that everything is okay, because it's not. Instead, you're giving your mind a small break, a chance to reconnect with the present and acknowledge a tiny piece of goodness amongst the chaos. This small act can help you reframe your mind and keep you facing the next part of the day with a little bit more calmness and perspective. The beautiful thing about a gratitude pause is that it only takes a few seconds. It doesn't take anything else but your body. It reminds you that even in the most stressful moments, there are still pieces of the world worth appreciating. So the next time you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath, pause. Ask yourself what are you grateful for right now? It could be as simple as the comfort of your favorite chair or the sound of laughter on a TV show in the background. That brief moment of gratitude can give you perspective and help you regain your balance so you can go ahead and move forward with a renewed perspective.

Cathy 42:07

Now I've gone through 11 of these practices already. There are so many more. Let me just rattle off a few more and I'm not going to get into them all. I will put some of these actually, I will put the list in the blog post and in my email this week, so you'll have these that will spark your interest. But a gratitude meditation where you're visualizing yourself with positive emotion.

Cathy 42:37

Gratitude photos Take pictures of moments, people and things that bring you joy, and then you go to that when you're feeling like you need some time to be grateful. Maybe it's a picture of your fur babies or your grandkiddos, or a vacation or a happy moment, or your grandkiddos or a vacation or a happy moment, whatever it would be Gratitude affirmations and saying these out loud, kind of similar to what we talked about. But I am thankful for the small joys in the caregiving journey, I'm grateful for the strength that I have each day, and you say these. Maybe you have. I have a dry erase board in my bathroom. That's crazy, but I do. It's just a small one that was used on college doors and I write affirmations on there and I write my affirmation for the week.

Cathy 43:25

Maybe you have a gratitude buddy and you partner up with a friend or family and share something you're grateful for each day or weekly and you exchange these. Maybe you have a gratitude calendar. I have a calendar with quotes on it that I flip it over each day and you read the quote of the month or the positive reflection, gratitude breathing we talked about, but really practicing the practice the list is endless. We could come up with more and more and more. Oh, my gosh, I love this topic so much, but I know that I want to keep it to like 45 minutes or at least under an hour, and I need to wrap it up. I could go on and on and on, because there's so many that you can go ahead and do so. Let me just wrap it up by saying this, and hopefully you get the idea that I am just obsessed with the practice of gratitude.

Cathy 44:21

Gratitude isn't about denying the hard moments. It's about finding strength within them. As caregivers, it's easy to get lost in our demands and our stresses, but by taking a moment to acknowledge what's going well. No matter how small, you're giving yourself a gift. This gift is resilience, is peace, is joy. It's just a point to pause.

Cathy 44:50

When you start to practice gratitude regularly, I promise you're going to notice changes and it's going to become something you're going to continue to do. It doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming. That's why you need to find the practice that works for you. It's as simple as really appreciating a moment of peace, a laugh with a loved one, or even your own persistence. Or maybe you'd laugh at something you crazily did, you know, and you're just grateful that you found time to laugh. These little acknowledgements create this ripple effect, shifting your perspective from just surviving to truly living in the caregiving journey and trying to show up as your best self. So I encourage you to pick one gratitude practice today and make it part of your routine. Eventually, you're going to go ahead and probably add more. Whether it's writing in a journal, expressing thank yous out loud or simply being mindful for the positives, every bit counts. No, not one or not. Only will this improve your well-being one will, but it will help you approach caregiving with more patience, with more joy, with more energy, with a better mood. You are showing up day after day for your loved one, but you also deserve to show up for yourself and you're doing something for yourself.

Cathy 46:22

People may say caregivers may say, I don't have time for self-care. I call BS because gratitude is self-care and it doesn't have to physically tax your body, it doesn't have to take a lot of time. You can do gratitude. Gratitude helps you do just that. It brings you closer to yourself and showing up as your best self, and from there everything else becomes a little bit easier to handle.

Expressing Gratitude in Caregiving

Cathy 46:51

So, my friend, take that step today and see how it transforms your caregiving journey. Let's embrace gratitude together, let's share it, let's talk about it, get it into your life and sure you may forget. But then, all of a sudden, you know things go crazy and you know what it's kind of like. Okay, the world's falling apart right now, but I'm going to bring it back. I'm going to bring my mind back and ask myself what am I grateful for today? What things went well today? What person smiled at me today? What person, what text or email did I get that made me smile person, what text or email did I get that made me smile?

Cathy 47:38

Hey, if you like this podcast episode and you think it would benefit somebody else a caregiver or somebody else share this with them, tell them to read this or listen to this episode Until next time. My friend, thank you for listening to this episode. I am so grateful to be behind this mic sharing my message with you. I'm grateful for all the comments, the follows, the subscribes whatever they are the email responses, the referrals that I get from you. It means the world to me. I started this Caregiving Cup podcast three. Now it's going to be four years in October, almost four years ago to go ahead and share my practices and by far this is the A number one practice that I incorporated that I could see an instant change in me within a week, so I want you to have that for you. Bye for now.